Thursday, September 30, 2010

Congratulations to Danette Henderson of Boise who correctly identified all of the species. Several participants correctly identified all but one, and different ones at that. Below are the names and photos of the of the birds-in-the-hand from my recent visit to the Idaho Bird Observatory up on Lucky Peak above east Boise. You can click on the photos to enlarge them for a better and more enjoyable view.

1. Townsend's Warbler

2. Wilson's Warbler

3. Orange-crowned Warblers

4. Yellow-rumped Warbler - you can see why we call them "butter-butts".

Thanks again to the Idaho Bird Observatory for the great work they do and for allowing me to spend the morning with them. I can't repeat my encouragement enough to invite you to visit the Idaho Bird Observatory and to support their work.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

How did you get into birding? Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person? Did you have a “spark bird”?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t birding, I must have been about 8 when I started. I can’t think of a bird mentor that I actually went birding with, apart from the British ornithologist David Hunt who was an expert in the UK on sea and shorebirds in particular. He used to organize birding tours on the Scilly Isles (off the south-west coast of England), and I was on one of those around 1980. When I was a boy there are 2 people I can remember most. Peter Scott (the son of the Antarctic explorer) who at the time was the most famous birder in Britain. Apart from being a broadcaster more than a field-guide writer, I guess he was the UK equivalent of Roger Tory Peterson. The other was James Fisher, who co-wrote the book “Wild America” with Peterson. Later I would say there are two people who inspired me most, Tony Soper, a British ornithologist who broadcast on TV a lot and has also written many books, and David Attenborough, to me the ultimate British Icon. Though not a birder as such, his enthusiasm as a naturalist is amazing and inspiring, and still is today at 84 years old. His TV Natural History Life of Birds is fabulous, but then of course all of his TV shows are. I don’t remember having a “spark bird”, it’s too long ago!

How long have you been birding in Idaho?

Well apart from 2 trips here in 2001 & 2005, since we moved here from England at the end of 2005.

How often do you go birding? And where do you regularly go birding?

Not nearly often enough. Walking the dogs 3-4 times a week is always an opportunity, but I rarely get out on my own more than once a month, although I do attend as many field trips as I can with both SIBA and GEAS. There is excellent birding around Horseshoe Bend where I live, I try to visit Avimor at least once a week on my way to work in Boise. Other than that, there is Harris Creek & Shafer Creek Rds between Horseshoe Bend & Placerville and Montour Wetlands.

Where is your favorite place to bird in Idaho? In the U.S.? in the world?

Well apart from my own backyard (60 species), one of my favourites in Idaho has to be Camas Prairie NWR, I was overwhelmed on my 1st visit there, I had never seen such a concentration of so many different birds in one place. In Idaho, I have only birded in the SW, as far north as Warren. Outside Idaho, the only places in the US I’ve birded are the Oregon coast and Puget Sound, Seattle. The UK is one of the best countries in the world for birding, because of its position near continental Europe, the Atlantic, and the first landfall due south from the arctic. I couldn’t possibly name a favourite birding spot, there are so many, among them would be a place called Holkham on the north coast of the county of Norfolk, where tens of thousands of Pink-footed Geese spend the winter. In fact the UK is the best country in Europe to observe wintering geese, there are 6 species, and more than half of their total world population winter there. It is also a prime spot for vagrant birds from North America, especially on the west coast.

Do you have any local birding hotspots that may be yet unknown to Idaho birders that you would be willing to share with us?

Well, Harris Creek Rd between Horseshoe Bend and Placerville is excellent for spring birding in particular. Its best to go off one of the many logging trails that wind and twist their way through the forest. Particularly good for warblers and Empidonax flycatchers (if they can be identified!) Another is Mill Pond, a small riparian area 1 mile north of Horseshoe Bend next to the Payette river off Hwy 55. I’ve had some good birds there in the past couple of years including Common Loon, Night Heron, Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Bohemian Waxwing.

Where in Idaho would you say is the most under-birded place that may have great untapped potential?

I haven’t really seen enough of Idaho to answer that one, although I feel its always worth exploring anywhere with a good habitat variety (such as riparian areas close to open fields with sagebrush) its amazing what can turn up! One good place that may not be that well known is a riparian area just a couple of miles above the Montour wetland. Each side of this is upland with sagebrush and the occasional clump of trees, so a good mix of habitats. Though I haven’t necessarily seen any real rarities the birdlife there is quite rich, especially in the spring, with warblers, sparrows, flycatchers, Icterids and a good mix of raptors.

How would you describe yourself as a birder? A “watcher”, a “lister”, a “chaser”, all of the above, or something else?

Well a watcher who likes to sit in one good spot for half an hour or so rather than walking about all the time. And a lister too! If by a “chaser” you mean someone who’ll drive hundreds of miles on the off chance of seeing a single rarity, that’s not really me. In England we call them “twitchers”; I haven’t heard that expression used here.

What kind of birding equipment do you use?

I have Opticron BGA 8x42 binoculars which I brought over from England, and an Opticron 22x60 spotting scope which I’ve had for about 30 years now. It still works well for me though there are times when I could do with something more powerful.

How do you keep track of your bird observations?

I use a spreadsheet which contains all my US sightings, but using the tools of Excel I can filter by state, location, date, month, year, etc. etc. so I don’t keep separate year/state lists. I log all my sightings from group field trips, and any extended solo trips I make, and I will summarize the trip noting anything of particular interest, plus no of species seen and number of life birds. I have a separate list for my British sightings which doesn’t change much any more!

What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?

Probably the sight of tens of thousands of Snow Geese at Fort Boise WMA, and then seeing them still coming in as far as the eye can see. Seeing two Elegant Terns on a beach in Oregon was an unexpected pleasure made easier for me by the presence of Caspian Terns nearby for comparison. In England, the outstanding bird sighting would be one summer on the Norfolk coast when I saw a Wilson’s Phalarope feeding with other more typical waders there.

Well the new Stokes photographic guide looks promising, I would like to get hold of the National Geographic guide, I have Sibley which is the one I use most, the Peterson Field Guide, and the Audubon photographic guide. I think at least 3 field guides are essential, because there is invariably one aspect which one particular field guide does better than the others. For instance, the Sibley is very good for bird identification, not so good on habitats, the Peterson Guide is better for habitats, not so good for ID.

Which books from your personal birding library would you recommend?

Well most of my reference books were purchased in England, I don’t have as yet a defintive reference book specifically for American birds, but I would mention the following four :

Weather and Bird Behaviour, by Norman Elkins, a fascinating account of how weather systems can affect breeding success, migration patterns, and general behaviour.

Birdwatch, by Tony Soper, covers all aspects of birdlife, but especially those which can be observed in the field, like courtship, breeding, migration, ecology, as well as advice for birding as to equipment, methods, tips etc.

Discovering Birds, by Rob Hume, which looks at habitats and ecosystems and the kinds of birds you can expect to find in them. This is a book for British birdwatchers, it would be great if something on the same lines was available here, is there?

The Idaho Bird Guide, by Dan Svingen, and Kas Dumroese, which I find very useful for finding hotspots, and how to get to them.

I have other books but they are strictly aimed at British birders.

Do you have any formal bird-related education background?

None at all!

If a fellow birder had a question about a bird, do you consider yourself an expert (or at least proficient) on any specific family of birds?

It would be easier to say what I have problems with! Empidonax Flycatchers (of course), and Sparrows. We only have 2 flycatchers and 2 sparrow species in England, so being confronted with all this lot has been quite a challenge. But then birding is a continual learning process, no matter how experienced you are. All I can say is that if a fellow birder had a question about a bird put to me, I would firstly be more interested in the shape and attitude of the whole bird before going through any plumage details. We call this “jizz” in England, another expression I haven’t heard here yet!

What future birding plans do you have?

I would like to visit more states outside the Northwest, but my immediate goal is to see the more common birds I’ve haven’t seen yet. I like to study bird behaviour, not just get them on my life list, so I’m keen to see more of the birds I’ve only seen once or twice.

All the commoner ones I haven’t seen yet but have a feeling I should have by now! But the standout would have to be the Swainson’s Thrush, which I believe I have seen 4 times, but I couldn’t confirm the ID.

Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

My daughter Erin, who is now a US citizen has been living here for 11 years now. She and her husband Ted (he is American) suggested my wife Pam & I moved over here after I took voluntary redundancy from my 26 year employer in England. We are now running a family business selling software to make cookbooks, and we also sell a huge amount of cookery related merchandise, binders, recipe boxes, recipe cards etc; I enjoy it immensely, but it does keep me from birding as often as I would wish! We have another daughter in England and she has no plans to move over here, but we miss her a lot. We have 2 grandsons.

Any funny birding experiences you could tell us?

I’m not sure if this is all that funny, but it was certainly unusual. One late afternoon in November I was going to a food store in the town I was living at the time in South-East England, when I spotted this movement on the ground right up against the wall of the store. It was a Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) a small Old-world relative of the Common (Wilson’s) Snipe, which is an uncommon winter visitor to the UK. It was exhausted, looking like it had literally fallen out of the sky. So I gave it some water and put it into a box and took it to a nearby reservoir. By the time I got to the reservoir it seemed to have recovered and when I let it out of the box it flew off quite happily.

If you were a bird, which species would you be and why?

Oh that’s easy, a Golden Eagle, hands down. I think it is the most magnificent bird in the world and I always get a thrill whenever I see one. I tried really hard to find them in Scotland, where there is about 400 breeding pairs, but I never succeeded, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see one here for the first time.

Anything else that you would like to humbly brag about?

I guess I feel proud of myself for sticking with birding for over half a century!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I was surprised and delighted to get a review copy of this book in the mail this week from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I enjoy Bill Thompson III's blog, podcast, and his magazine and I had read about his new book. I didn't know HMH was sending me one, and I'm sure glad they did.

Bill states that the purpose of writing this book is so that we backyard birdwatchers "attract and enjoy more birds" and therefore "have more fun". He points out that feeding wild birds is "done more for us than for the birds", and because we do it for our own pleasure, "we owe it to the birds to do it right". This book is now the Bible of Backyard Birding, giving fantastic instruction on bird baths, feeders, nest boxes, seed and landscaping. Sure, you could probably find all these same tips scattered across the world wide web, but to have them so succinctly in one place along with Bill's charming personality makes this book special.

When I first got this book, my greatest desire was to know which native plant species are best for birds so that I can plan for my future birding oasis. I was delighted to find that chart on pages 55 through 57. He provides some good reasoning to deal with neighbors who question your intentionally "rough around the edges" landscaping. Now if he'll just pay the fines from the Home Owner's Association for me! (Just kidding. I actually live in a great area with wild landscapes right out my back door.) I also really like the chart on page 27 which shows several types of birds and what they like to eat. Very helpful! The last section of the book is similar to a field guide, displaying pictures and info about most of the birds you might see in or near your backyard.

I thought it was funny to read Bill's comments on GFCI protected outlets, almost like they were some foreign object. I guess as a home builder I am very familiar with them and have not lived in a home without them.

If you think you knew all there is to know about backyard birding, please enjoy this book and learn some more! I did.

Monday, September 27, 2010

It's with mixed emotions that I announce that the Idaho Birding Blog is in on the move. This last week I accepted a job that will take my family to the east coast. It will be a job that will require me to travel weekly the area from Baltimore to Atlanta. Very much a family-man, I'm not thrilled to be a road-warrior, yet we look forward to the adventure for the family and the opportunity to get back off poverty's door step. I'm also excited to see lots of new birds!

This move brings necessary changes to the Idaho Birding Blog. I have un-tied the blog from geographic limitations, so I never have to change it again. The new blog name is "Birding is Fun!"

For concerned Idaho Birders, the November edition of the Idaho Camera Birding Photo Competition will still go forward with no changes. I will continue to accept Idaho Birder Profiles from any of you still working on them. Although I will be mostly out of town until we move in mid-November, I will still be hosting the Avimor Big Sit! on Saturday Oct 9th from 6am-noon. You are all invited!

It has been fun to be "home" in Idaho for the last few years. I've made some great birding friends and found some fantastic places in Idaho to go birding! The Idaho Birding Blog has been a blast for me and I hope you have enjoyed it too. I'll still be passionately birding and blogging and I hope many of you will continue to follow my adventures.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

By the last week of September, my neighborhood Swainson's Hawks will be on their way to my second country, Argentina. ¡Buen viaje! Nos vemos en la primavera. (Good travels! We'll see you in the Spring)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Cooper's Hawk juvenile at Foote Park in July 2010
This hawk was actively hunting other birds among the trees.

Back at the end of July of this year I made my first visit to Foote Park near Lucky Peak Reservoir. I had often seen reports of the great birding in this area and I was anxious to visit. Foote Park is a fairly narrow draw running north to south, and is a little oasis of green in the southern Idaho desert. Its not but a few miles out of Boise, but remains a largely under-birded location. IBLE reports, combined with eBird records show that Foote Park is an excellent location for flycatchers, vireos, and warblers during migration including American Redstart and Black and White Warbler. It is also a location where Lesser Goldfinch are occasionally seen in Idaho.

While I was there for less than an hour, I still registered 18 species including Warbling Vireo, Gray Catbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bullock's Oriole, Lazuli Bunting, and Western Tanager.

Locust Trees, willows, and a few cottonwoods make this draw an oasis for birds in the southern Idaho desert.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Here are photos of birds-in-the-hand from my recent visit to the Idaho Bird Observatory up on Lucky Peak above east Boise. Some of these birds will be very easy to identify and some will be a challenge. The most important thing is to have some fun while sharpening your bird identification skills. The answers will be posted in a few days. You can click on the photos to enlarge them for a better and more enjoyable view.

Thanks again to the Idaho Bird Observatory for the great work they do and for allowing me to spend the morning with them. I can't repeat my encouragement enough to invite you to visit the Idaho Bird Observatory and to support their work.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Besides song bird banding, the IBO also does nighttime owl banding, hawkwatching, and hawk banding. These hawkwatchers have learned to amazingly identify birds of prey from great distances based on the shape of their silhouette and how they fly. Sometimes they get close enough to identify based on color. During the hawkwatch, the staff and volunteers identify, count, and record all the birds they can see within their 360 degree binocular view. They only use spotting scopes to confirm identities, not to find them. Their skills blow me away!

Jay also allowed me to spend an hour with him in the Hawk Banding Shack. I must admit that is was the most thrilling part of the morning. It was a such a rush! Here is why:

Hawk banding shack with downtown Boise in the background.

Here Jay Carlisle is setting up the mist net triangle. A bait bird will be placed in the center with the hope trapping hawks that fly in after the bait.

Jay is setting one of the bow nets. Half of the trap is folded back and is spring loaded to flip up and over the hawk. The bow trap is held down with a tiny wire connected to a string. The string runs into the shack and is pulled when the hawk is safely in the middle of the trap. At one point that morning, a hawk was in the trap area, but Jay couldn't see if it was in the middle area or not. He did not spring the trap and the hawk flew off. The safety of the bird comes before the science!

A dove is placed into a leather harness and attached to a rope. The bait bird is then placed on the ground. The rope can be pulled from inside the shack to cause the dove to lift and flap its wings thereby attracting the hawks. The pigeon is used most as it is the largest and can quickly get a hawk's attention from a long ways away. Once it has the hawk's attention, the doves or sparrows are used to lure the hawk to the appropriately sized trap.

Even the bait birds get a little TLC with birdseed and water. The House Sparrows are also given a little half-buried wooden shelter. Very few bait birds are actually harmed during the whole capture process.

Looking through the viewing gap on the shack we scan the hills for hawks. Once we see one, Jay tugs on the bait bird ropes to get the hawk's attention. It is stunning and exhilarating to see how quickly these hawks will make their approach and attack. Within seconds of us setting up the traps and entering the cover of the shack we had three Sharp-shinned Hawks and two Cooper's Hawks all at once. It was quite a sight watching Jay shifting between pulling the bait ropes for four different traps while keeping at the ready to pull the trap trigger stings.

Jay is removing a hatch-year Cooper's Hawk from one of the bow nets, our first capture of the day.

Here Jay delicately removes our second catch of the day from the mist net, a hatch-year Sharp-shinned Hawk.

The hawk is checked out for general health and for parasites. They also check the crop to see if it is full or not. The Sharp-shinned we caught had recently eaten another bird.

The hawk is placed headfirst into a homemade tube of taped together soup cans. This allows the banders hands to be free to measure and weigh the hawk without getting gripped in sharp talons or bitten with a powerful beak. The whole process from capture to release lasts only about five minutes.

Here a young Sharp-shinned is about to be released over the skies of Boise. Happy migration! We hope somebody somewhere catches you again so we can learn more about you!

Their release was delayed a little bit this morning because some dumb blogger was there wanting to take pictures and was excited to learn more about the distinguishing characteristics between Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks. In-the-hand, both species are really easy to tell apart, much more so than in a tree or in flight. Color pattern, eye color, relative tail length, etc are so easy up close and personal.

It was such an honor to hold these raptors in my hands and to see them up close. These are birds worthy of study and protection. Please consider a donation to the Idaho Bird Observatory to further their research. Support can be given through their website here.

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